Chicago Blackhawks Morning Links: Jokiharju To Play In World Championship

Chicago Blackhawks top prospect Henri Jokiharju will represent Finland in the World Championship

Over the weekend, there was plenty of great playoff hockey including the continued success of former Chicago Blackhawks forward Artemi Panarin, who now has five points in two postseason games with the Blue Jackets.  But instead of dwelling on the past, Blackhawks fans need to look to the future.

It was reported Sunday by Scott Powers of The Athletic that the Blackhawks’ 2017 first-round draft pick, Henri Jokiharju, will be playing for Team Finland in the World Championship.  Jokiharju has had a great season with the Portland Winterhawks in the WHL, scoring 12 goals and 59 assists in 63 regular-season games.

With the new trend in the NHL of trying to groom young defensemen at the pro level, there has been some talk about Jokiharju cracking the lineup out of training camp next season.  The Blackhawks do have needs at defense, but he should only come up if the coaching staff truly believes his game is ready.

IceHogs and Fuel update

The Rockford IceHogs and Chicago Wolves begin their best-of-five playoff series Saturday, while the Indy Fuel head home to Indianapolis down 2-0 in their series with Toledo.  They play their next game Wednesday night.

Hope everyone has a great start to their week!

@BlackhawkUp

Next: Securing Blackhawks' Future: Alex DeBrincat

Morning links

• Bryan Bickell too busy to lament about MS ending his career – USA Today
• Big playoff ahead for IceHogs, Wolves – Daily Herald
• Punishment for hits to the head prevalent in NHL playoffs – Yahoo Sports
• Drake wears Humboldt jersey to Raptors game – CBS Sports
• Doc Emrick:  Hockey’s Beloved Soundtrack – Wall Street Journal
• Clinton Arena of Clinton NY wins Kraft Hockeyville – WKTV